L R AS Published on Monday 13 September 2021 - n° 373 - Categories:panels
A 500 W panel that weighs 50% less than glass/backsheet panels
The Dutch company Solarge has developed a 500 W panel that weighs 50% less than glass/backsheet panels.
It measures 2.327 mm x 1.137 mm x 14 mm and weighs 14.5 kg. This allows it to be fixed to flat roofs with roof anchor systems.
It is a 72 cell monocrystalline panel using the M10 format. It has a weight of 6 kg/m². The recommended installation is in an east-west orientation with an inclination of 12 degrees. There is no need for ballast to hold it on the roof.
PV Magazine of 9 September 2021
Editor's note It will be necessary to find the right panel for all buildings with flat roofs, in order to produce the energy consumed in the building on site. We have the impression that there are trials but no convincing results.
In the same way, there are trials of installing panels on the façades of buildings (cf. HZB), but these are still only experiments, attempts, not a generalisation of the trials to develop a practice of using walls. This is certainly the field of experimentation that is lacking to replace large floor areas.
It is also possible that the conversion rate of the panels is still insufficient to clad buildings. However, the experiments on buildings with 19% efficiency panels will be of use when this rate increases to 25%.
